Stackoverflow question: Is there a built-in identity function in Python?

[Ethan Furman]

The simple answer is No, and all the answers agree on that point.

It does beg the question of what an identity function is, though.

My contention is that an identity function is a do-nothing function that simply returns what it was given:

--> identity(1)
1

--> identity('spam')
'spam'

--> identity('spam', 'eggs', 7)
('spam', 'eggs', 7)

Of the five answers to that SO question, mine is the only one that will correctly handle those three examples.  If you 
agree with my contention feel free to up-vote my answer.  :)

https://stackoverflow.com/a/8748063/208880

--
~Ethan~